Selected Topics: Article Index

VSN published 226 issues, so it can be a bit intimidating to look for a technique or project article within the issues you have in your stash. Searching through the existing Issue Index page for a word or phrase will point you to everything from full articles to extensive tips to very quick tips and ideas. But what if what you are after is full articles and not smaller tips? I’ve put together this special index of SELECTED TOPICS to help you out with this.

What This List Is . . . And Isn’t

The topics on this list are mostly technique-oriented, although there are some references to specific products and stamp room/organization. While this is an extensive list, it DOES NOT cover every reference to every technique. When putting together this list, I concentrated on mostly FULL ARTICLES like Experimentation, Class Tips, Digital Corner, etc.

Tips found within Happenings and Quick Tips/More Tips sections are for the most part not included within this list. There are some cases where a Product Picks report is found within this list, but most Product Picks/Business News reports are not included, nor are Catalog Reviews, Web Site Reviews or Store Reviews. In a very few cases, I’ve included multi-page in-depth Quick Tips sections or individual projects, but most of what you find on this list are full articles.

Please do not discount the information not found in a full focus article. There are very helpful and valuable tips and information in other articles, particularly within older Happenings (convention) reports, Product Picks and Quick Tips. To see the full VSN Issue Index, with the contents of each issue, see the Issue Index page.

A Note on Technique Names

Sometimes stampers will assign names to techniques. In some cases where a technique is fairly widely know under a particular name, this can be a convenient shorthand, helping people quickly understand what was done. One example is “Polished Stone,” a technique name that is widely familiar among stampers. Other examples might be “masking”, “sponging” or “direct-to-paper.”

On the other hand, sometimes a technique is varied only slightly (maybe just swapping in one brand of ink or paint for another for example) and then given a new name. In my mind, this practice is not helpful and just confuses people. Other people like to give every little technique variation a new name, even techniques that have basically been around for years, maybe in a bid to claim some type of ownership over the technique or maybe to imply that it is something new and that they are the only source of information on it. Who knows? VSN does not in general assign shorthand names to technique variations, because it is my feeling that describing things more generically is more straightforward and causes less confusion. Keep this in mind when looking for techniques on this list.

Basic Stamping Techniques:

(Note: I am using “Basic Techniques” here to mean techniques typically widely used by stampers. Often these articles start at a beginner level and build to more intermediate or even advanced.)

Fun Card Folds: Specialty Cards & Pockets

(These articles and projects look at taking cards beyond the typical once-folded rectangle. This list includes interesting fold ideas, windows and pockets. Some are full in-depth articles and some are single projects, some with patterns, some with how-to diagrams and some with stepped photos.) Pop-Ups and cards that move are separated out into the next sections of this list. Note: Also See “Books” for book cards.)

Movement: Other Stamped Cards that Move

(This section includes non-pop-up movement cards as well as single-card projects, some with patterns and some with how-to diagrams and some with stepped photos. Includes slides, spinning and explosion cards.)

Alcohol Inks & Stamping(Including Markers)

(Alcohol inks have been popular among stampers for years; Polished Stone backgrounds created with alcohol inks never seem to go out of style! These days many stampers are also enjoying alcohol ink markers like Copic and Prismacolor markers.)

Markers & Stamping

(This section looks more generally at markers. Some are full technique articles. Where a specific product is mentioned, the article is a Product Picks type article. Product Picks typically describe the product and some basic usage.)

Brayer Techniques for Stamping

(Brayers continue to be very useful tools for stamped projects. They often are used in backgrounds, so you’ll find additional references/uses for them within projects/articles in the “Backgrounds” section.)

Colored Pencils & Stamping

(Colored pencils pop up quite often within a wide range of articles as well as Quick Tips. These particular articles focus on them. For more tips, be sure to search the Issue Index page for “colored pencil”.)

Acrylic & Watercolor Paint Techniques for Stamping

(With all the possible acrylic and watercolor paints available in the art supply store, you know stampers are going to play with them and use them in their stamped projects. Also see “Backgrounds” plus the “Art Mediums Series”)

Stamping on Glass, Plastic & Ceramics

(Want to stamp on a slick surface like glass, plastic or ceramics? The right ink and techniques let you do just that! Note: Often (although not always) techniques that work on glass can be used on plastic and vice versa.)

Stamp Inkpad Reviews / Ink Techniques

(A few of the articles listed here are large articles focusing on multiple inkpad lines, especially Aug ’03 and Aug ‘04. Where one or two specific products are mentioned, it is usually a Product Picks report.)

Using Digital Images in Stamping:

(VSN began the Digital Corner column in the Jul ’10 issue. This list also includes a few other computer-related articles. Digital Corner continues in current and upcoming issues so this list will grow.)

Stamping in Groups

(For quite a few years (1995-2004), VSN printed an annual stamp club list in each July issue. Some of these issues included articles with ideas for stamping groups. We’ve also touched on stamping and children and stamping with the elderly.)

Physical Challenges & Stamping

(Some of us have problems with our hands or arms that may make getting a good stamped impression a challenge. These articles look at that or at incorporating other senses beyond sight in our stamped projects.)

Apr ’01: Making Accommodations (stamping w/hand or arm problems)
Apr ’09: Speedball Stamp Press (helpful if have hand/arm issues)
Oct ’02: The Other Four Senses (Touch, Smell, Hearing & Taste)
May ’98: Including A Sense of Touch
Jul ’96: Stamping with the Elderly

Stamp Storage & Stamp Room Articles

(Every stamper knows that organizing all our stamping stuff is actually our biggest challenge. You will be hard-pressed to find an issue of VSN that does not include some reference/idea about storage. Almost every Quick Tips/More Tips article includes storage ideas, so be sure to search the full Issue Index, especially for specific ideas for storing particular tools and supplies. The following list of articles, for the most part, are one to two page articles written by readers, showing off their stamp room, including pictures and often floor plans as well as details of the best things about the way they set up their stamp room. There are a couple of articles written by VSN’s editor that longer and marked as a feature article.)

Issue Check-Off List:

The VSN Issue Check-Off lists all VSN issues. Print it and then check off issues you have. (Please note that VSN print issues are no longer for sale by VSN.) This list is an Adobe Acrobat pdf file. (Download current free Adobe Acrobat Reader)

FREE Rubber Stamping eArticles:

VSN also offers a series of free articles on stamping topics in three downloadable formats. Topics include: